Devil's Backbone
by sarabethloves
Summary: Winry's time at Central University is certainly going to be interesting, especially after a chance encounter at a party introduces her to a certain hipster punk by the name of Edward Elric who leads her on a journey through college she won't ever forget.
1. Chapter 1

**So, the idea for this story grabbed a hold of me a few days ago and has not left me since. I absolutely love fma college AU's and so when the idea for one of my own came to me, I just couldn't resist. I already have the first five chapters written and a pretty good idea of where I want the rest of them to go so if enough people are enjoying this story, updates should be pretty frequent. Hope you guys like it and let me know if you want me to continue!**

**PS: The title for this story came from the song Devil's Backbone by The Civil Wars that will actually be featured later in the story. Just so you know ;)**

Winry Rockbell gulped as she looked up at the daunting building that would be her home for the next year. Powell Hall was one of the more run down dorms at Central University, but because she had taken so long to make her decision about where she wanted to go to college, she had been stuck taking whatever housing she could get.

Families with weepy parents and excited college freshman surrounded her as people were moving in and looking around at campus. Winry watched one girl hug her parents goodbye with a twinge of jealousy. The past few months had been a whirlwind of major decisions and life transitions that she had had to go through without the aide of her parents, who had passed away when she was a young girl. For the most part, Winry was living on her own very well, but seeing other kids her age go through high school graduation and heading off to college with their families made Winry sad that she was doing it all alone.

Well, not entirely alone. She had her Granny Pinako there with her, but it was noticeably different. Granny's health had been deteriorating lately, so instead of her grandmother helping her through this major transition, Winry mostly helped her grandmother stay alive.

That was one of the main reasons she had taken so much time figuring out where she wanted to spend the next four years of her life. There were no major universities near where she lived in Resembool, which meant that she would either have to move her grandmother with her or find a live in nurse to take care of her. She had decided on the former, figuring Central was a good place for her ailing grandmother to find a good nursing home and still be close to Winry. They had moved her granny in the week before and now it was her turn.

Yet another major event she had to do by herself. She groaned just thinking of the many trips up and down the stairs she was going to have to take to move all her stuff into her new room.

She took a deep breath and walked into the lobby of the large dorm. She waited in line to get checked in and receive her keys before she found herself standing in front of room 407.

This was it. This small dorm room would be the place she would call home until school ended in May. Whether or not she liked it, she was stuck here. She had better get used to it.

She opened the door and walked inside. The first thing she noticed was a pretty girl with olive skin and strangely colored hair folding clothes next to one of the two beds. The girl looked up when she entered and flashed a bright smile.

"Hi! You must be Winry. I'm Rose," she said politely as she extended her hand to Winry who shook it back.

"Nice to meet you. I take it you're my new roommate?" Winry asked as she set down one of her bags on the opposite bed.

"Yep!" Rose seemed nice. She was quite bubbly, which was something that Winry was a little worried about living with, but overall she didn't seem like a horrible girl to have as a roommate.

"Is that all you brought with you?" Rose asked as she looked at the two tote bags Winry had brought up with her.

"Oh, god no. I have a bunch of stuff in my car. Ugh, it's going to take forever to get it all up here," she said more to herself as she thought of the daunting task ahead of her.

"Aren't your parents going to help you?"

Winry inwardly winced at the question. Here we go…

"Uh, my parents died when I was a kid," she said, awkwardly awaiting the typical response that came from that bit of information. This was why she hated meeting new people.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," her roommate said sympathetically. Winry was used to this by now. It never made sense that people still felt the need to feel sorry for her after so many years, but here she was.

"It's fine. I was little when it happened, so it's not that big of a deal now. It does make moving onto the fourth floor of a dorm a bit more difficult."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Rose said, still wearing a sympathetic look. "Hey, you know what you should do?"

"What?"

"There are some guys downstairs that might help you out with your stuff. Apparently they're there every year. They consider it a good way to pick up young freshman, so I would be careful, but I'm sure they'd be willing to help you."

It was a good option, though Winry was a little weary of a bunch of jocks trying to flirt with her while they were moving all of her stuff in. Still, her only other choice would be to bring it up by herself and she was _not _in the mood to do that.

"Hm, I'll go check it out."

"Okay! I'll still be here folding clothes until eternity when you get back," Rose said with a smile.

Winry smiled back thinking that she had maybe just made her first friend at college before she went back downstairs much more at ease than she was when she had first arrived.

When Winry got downstairs, there was, sure enough, a group of athletic looking guys with a hand written sign that said 'Muscle Man Movers. Got shit? We'll move it!'.

_Creative motto_ Winry thought to herself with a roll of her eyes before she walked up to them.

"Um, excuse me?" she shyly asked before one of them, a tall blonde with a shirt that said 'Central University Baseball', turned around and, upon getting a good look at her, flashed her a gorgeous smile.

"Hi there. Need some help?"

"Uh, yeah. I live on the fourth floor and don't have anyone else who can help move all my stuff. I was told you guys were good at that sort of thing."

"Well, sweetheart, you have come to the right place. The guys and I are pro movers and we'd be happy to help," the guy said, still sporting a smile that was to die for.

"Great. My car is just over there," she said, slightly uneasily, as she led the blonde and a few of his friends to where her car was parked.

As they walked, the guy introduced himself. "My name is Russell, by the way. These guys are some of my friends from the baseball team," he said as he pointed to the group walking with them.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Winry," she said with a polite smile. She was still a little nervous about what the true intention of these jocky movers was, but she was thankful they were willing to help.

When they got to her car, they managed to get all of her things between the four of them with a little help from Winry herself. Russell made more small talk that could only be interpreted as blatant flirting until they reached her room.

"Here we are," she said before she opened her door and let the four boys into the room. Rose looked on appreciatively as four baseball players walked into her dorm room behind her roommate. Everyone knew the baseball team was one of the best looking of all the sports teams at Central.

The boys placed all of Winry's stuff in the middle of the dorm room and then turned to her. She wasn't sure what they wanted, so she just assumed they were waiting for her to pay them.

"Oh, uh, how much do you guys want?" she asked as she grabbed her wallet from her purse.

"Oh we don't charge anything, though a little tip would be nice. We just ask one thing in return."

That didn't sound good. "What?" she asked them wearily.

"Next Saturday, I'm throwing a party at my house a few blocks from campus and you have to attend."

"What? Seriously?" she blurted out, thinking the proposition was absolutely ridiculous. Winry knew that parties were a big thing for young college students, but she had sworn to herself that she would have no part in it. She had too many things to do to spend her college career partying.

"Of course. We figure it's the least you can do for us after we just lugged all of your stuff up four flights of stairs for free," Russell said as his friends all nodded in agreement. All three of them had not said a single word the entire time they were helping her, which led Winry to believe that Russell acted as the ring leader for their group of friends.

"I'll gladly pay if that's what you want."

"That's not what I want. What I want is to see your beautiful face at my party next weekend," Russell said flirtatiously.

Winry spared a quick glance at Rose who merely shrugged her shoulders. It looked as though Russell and his friends wouldn't take no for an answer. And what was the harm of showing up at a college party to say hi and then leave? She sighed, figuring there was no other option.

"Fine," she relented. Russell grinned widely and then took out a small notepad and pen from his pocket. He quickly wrote down something and then tore off the piece of paper and handed it to her. "My full name is Russell Tringham. This is my address. Party starts at 8. Can't wait to see you there," he told her with a wink before he nodded to his friends and they all left the girl's dorm room.

"Wow. Sorry about recommending them, Winry. I didn't know they were going to ask you that," Rose told her.

"No, it's okay. It's just one party," she said, but Rose could tell that Winry was still unsure of herself.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to. Who knows how many girls that douchebag has invited today. And in a week, he's probably not even going to remember who you are. If you don't like parties, then don't go."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Winry said before she made an attempt to shake the whole thing off and focus on the task at hand. She had a lot of crap and it would take forever to unpack it all.

Rose and Winry spent the rest of the day unpacking and getting to know each other better. The more she talked to her, the more Winry decided that she liked Rose. She was fun and easygoing and had lots of cool stories to tell. Winry knew they would live together just fine.

She was thankful that she lucked out with her roommate. That was one thing she had been worried about with college that she could safely say she felt good about. Now she had to move on and deal with the next thing she was worried about.

The first day of classes.

**Well, what do you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

Winry woke up an hour before her morning class on her first day of college. She wanted to look as good as possible and didn't want to have to rush to get ready. She knew from what upperclassmen had said that it would take her only a few days before she gave up trying to look good for school, but she also knew she couldn't walk into her first college class looking like a slob.

She spent a substantial amount of time fixing her hair and makeup and then chose a flowery and girly dress with sandals to wear. Rose was getting ready with her and decided on a similar look. Both girls were nervous but excited to officially start the next four years at Central University.

They walked to class together before finally parting to go to their separate buildings. Rose's first class was English and Winry's was Chemistry.

Winry had decided on engineering as her major when she was in the eighth grade. It had just made sense. Her grandmother had run an automail business since before Winry was born until she had to stop because of her health issues. It was Winry's goal to carry on her grandmother's legacy and follow the family tradition of automail engineering when she graduated from college. Plus, she loved taking things apart and putting them back together so the major was perfect for her.

She walked into the large science building and roamed the halls before she found her classroom. Because so many people had to take the class for a general education science requirement, the chemistry classroom was a lecture hall fit to hold a large number of people. Coming from a small schoolhouse in Resembool, the lecture hall would certainly be a new experience for Winry.

She found a seat in the middle of the room. She picked it because it wasn't too far back that she couldn't hear and not so close that she seemed overenthusiastic either. A group of girls who were all friends were gossiping loudly behind her as she sat down and got out a notebook to take notes. She tried to ignore them.

"You guys will never guess whose party Emily was invited to yesterday," one of the girls said.

"Who?"

"Russell Tringham," the first girl said as all her girlfriends gasped. The name immediately made Winry perk up.

"Yeah. Apparently he was helping girls move in in front of Powell and she just went up and asked him to get her stuff and he and his friends did. Then, after he was done, he said her payment would be her coming to his party."

"No way! I'm so jealous. Man, this is like the only time I wished I lived in Powell."

"Tell me about it. She's so lucky that she gets to party with one of the most drop dead gorgeous guys on campus."

_Now this is an interesting development_ Winry thought to herself. She had no idea how popular this Russell guy was. She didn't know yet whether to count herself lucky that she had met him or not.

"Oh my god! You guys, look who is in our class!" one of the girls said quickly causing all of her friends to gasp and silently squeal.

Winry looked up at the doorway and saw a familiar blonde walking into the lecture hall. _Well speak of the devil_.

She sat down further in her seat, hoping that he wouldn't recognize her. If he even said hi to her in front of the other girls, she knew they would all immediately hate her guts. Though, now that she thought about it, that probably wasn't the worse thing in the world.

His eyes scanned the rows of seats looking for people he knew before they quickly stopped when they landed on her. He gave a small smirk before he began to walk toward her. Winry looked down and cursed herself for how much she was blushing. She silently prayed that he was looking at someone else, but when he walked to a seat in the row in front of her, she knew that he remembered her.

"Hey Winry," he said with a sexy smile. She imagined all the girls behind her were probably alternating between swooning and giving her the death glare.

"Uh, hey Russell," she greeted back uneasily, embarrassed that he was showing her so much attention. She began to understand just how popular he really was when she noticed almost everyone in the room was staring at them.

"It's so crazy that we have the same first class."

"Uh, yeah. I thought this class was mostly for freshman," Winry pointed out. She had figured from the way he held himself that he was older, but she could've been wrong.

"Yeah, it is. I'm a junior, but I decided to change my major to chemistry this semester so I have to start fresh."

"Oh, I see," she said before she looked down at her notes, trying to get him to stop talking to her. She was not a fan of all of the eyes on her right now.

Russell was about to say something else when the sound of someone clearing their throat caused both he and Winry to look up.

Another guy, quite a few inches shorter than Russell, was standing next to him with an irritated look on his face. Winry noticed right away that he had the most striking golden eyes and his hair was irregularly long and pulled up in a messy ponytail. He was wearing dark faded skinny jeans, an obscure band tank top, and a leather jacket. Winry also noticed that he had quite a few piercings in his ears and one in his nose, a fact she could personally relate to as she had many piercings herself. He looked to be an all around hipster, a striking distinction from Russell's clean-cut jock look.

It seemed as though Russell and the newcomer knew each other from the way they were looking at one another. Though whether they were friends or not was debatable. In fact, they looked as though they didn't like each other at all.

"Oh hey, Ed. Saved you a seat," Russell said as he nodded to an empty seat on the opposite side of him.

"Terrific. You mind getting the hell out of my way?" Ed asked with a gruff voice.

"Geez, Ed, you don't have to be so rude all the time," Russell said with a smirk as he moved so that Ed could get past him and sit down.

"Whatever," he mumbled before he plopped down in his seat.

"Sorry about my roommate. He can be kind of a jerk sometimes," Russell said when he turned back toward Winry. She raised an eyebrow at that. The two of them did not look like they got along very well let alone lived together. They were practically the exact opposite person.

Before Winry could reply, the professor spoke up from the front of the room, effectively ending her and Russell's conversation, much to her relief.

"Talk to you later," he said quickly before he sat down next to his roommate and leaned over to whisper something to him. His roommate just shook his head and started taking notes. Russell laughed at him and began to do the same.

Winry was confused about the whole conversation. It was obvious that Russell had helped plenty of girls move in and yet he had specifically started up a conversation with her. He had even remembered her name. Rose's idea that he was just going to forget about her in a week looked to be false, especially since they had a class together.

She could hear the girls behind her whispering about her during the entire class. This was not the way she envisioned this day going. It felt like she had never left high school with the gossiping and the way the popular guy got all the attention. She wanted to go through her college career relatively unnoticed, making a few lasting friendships along the way. Already that idea had been thrown out the window because of a certain blonde baseball player.

She sighed. _Why does it have to be me?_

**Hope you guys like it! Next chapter we'll get a little more of a glimpse into Ed's life in college now that he's been introduced. Let me know what you thought :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Next chapter! Like I've said before, I have a bunch of chapters of this already written but I'm trying to pace my updates and I'm also writing for another edwin story as well (which you should totally check out!) so that's why I'm not uploading this super fast. Hope you guys like this one! It starts out in Ed's perspective so we can see things from his point of view :)**

"Is that girl I was talking to hot or what?" Russell whispered to his roommate as their Chemistry professor started class. Ed only rolled his eyes at his friend's douchey comment and began to take notes. It was unfortunate that he and his roommate had decided to change their majors at the same time, forcing them to take a lot of the same classes. Ed had been a biology major before he switched to chemistry once he realized his true calling was in chemical equations, not cells. His roommate, on the other hand, had been a business major before he made the switch. Ed still didn't know why, though. Maybe it was because the girls were hotter in the chemistry department or something. Ed thought so little of Russell that, as ridiculous as it sounded, he wouldn't be surprised if it was true.

To say that Russell Tringham was not one of Ed's favorite people was a severe understatement.

It was a wonder Ed hadn't kicked Russell out of his house yet. He hated being around him and, now that they had the same major, he would be forced to see even more of the school's big baseball star.

It was all because of his brother, Alphonse. He was too kind-hearted, Ed had determined. Being nice was good in general, but his brother took it to an unfortunately high level. He realized this when his brother befriended a young boy by the name of Fletcher Tringham. Fletcher was in Alphonse's class in high school and they had become quick friends. One day Al had found out that Fletcher and his older brother were without a true home because of their mother's death and their father's absence, a situation all too familiar for Ed and his brother.

Al's sympathy for their case had grown so much that he had asked their father if they could live with them. The big house in Central got lonely with just Ed and Al, since their father was never there, so Al figured there was no better way to liven the place up than with another set of brothers who needed a place to live.

Their father had absolutely loved the idea, especially after he found out that the Tringham brother's father was one of the biggest mysteries of his business and having close ties with him could be beneficial.

Without any say from Ed (who had quite a bit to say about it all but was purposely ignored), Fletcher and Russell Tringham had moved in with Edward and Alphonse Elric Ed's senior year of high school. Hohenheim, who was not in want of money, had even offered to pay for Russell's college education once he graduated so long as he went to Central, the university close to where they all lived.

To Al, it was one of his greatest accomplishments in charity work. To Ed, it was a living nightmare.

Alphonse and Fletcher got along splendidly. Russell and Edward, however, were sworn enemies. Their similar stubborn personalities meant a lot of heated arguments and clashes that usually weren't resolved. Over the years they had been forced to form a pseudo friendship, but they acted more like opposing kings than they did loyal friends.

Russell was the golden boy. Athletic, well-dressed, and quite the sweet-talker. He had all the girls, all the talent, and, thanks to Hohenheim, all the wealth. Ed was just the opposite. He was athletic, sure, but he honed his skills in martial arts, not lame team sports like baseball. He had a unique sense of style. He liked black, lots of piercings, and the thought of clean-cutting his hair made him shiver. He listened to obscure bands in his free time, enjoyed reading more than flirting with girls, and generally kept to himself unless he had something he wanted to say.

In short, he and Russell had nothing in common beside their need to always be right.

And yet, despite everything, Russell had still insisted they try and get along, at least for their little brothers' sake. So, with the insistence of his brother and father, Ed had tried his best the past few months to at least be cordial. Russell was annoying, but now that they had the same major, they had a lot of common goals. It would be wise for them to try and get along.

Russell had taken Ed's reluctant agreement to be cordial as a full on invitation to act like friends. He started to do things like invite Ed to parties, introduce him to girls, and, now, sit with him in class. It made Ed want to cringe.

But as long as his brother was breathing down his neck about it all, he had no other choice but to go along with what Russell wanted to do. Of course, that didn't mean Ed kept to himself about how much he hated it.

Even now, as Russell whispered something to him about another hot girl he had met, he couldn't help his very audible grumbling about how obnoxious his "friend" was. Russell's blatant womanizing grated on Ed's nerves more than anything else he did.

Ed tried to concentrate as his chemistry professor lectured at the front of the large hall. Russell hardly paid attention, probably thinking that he could just copy Ed's notes later rather than actually listen. Like Ed would let that happen.

Once the class had finally come to a close, Russell stood up and immediately began talking to the girl behind them again. Ed took the chance, as his roommate blocked his path to the exit, to take a look at Russell's latest interest.

She was quite pretty. He noticed with a smirk that she had put a lot of effort into her appearance for their morning class, something that was not very common for girls at the university to do. Ed figured the next time he saw her in this class she would be wearing shorts and a sweatshirt with her hair tied up in a messy bun rather than a flowery sundress and her hair perfectly curled. Still, she looked beautiful, even more so than a lot of the girls in the class. He still wasn't the kind of guy who ogled women, but he could appreciate a beautiful girl when he saw one.

He also noticed with immense pleasure that she seemed to be rather uncomfortable talking with Russell, something that _never_ happened. He wasn't paying much attention to what was actually being said (his roommate was probably babbling on about the party Ed had reluctantly agreed to host at their home), but he looked on with amusement as the girl tried her best to get away from Russell and his "moves".

She picked up her backpack and swung it over her shoulders, hoping to signal her desire to leave. Her eyes looked up to Russell and then they drifted to him. When they locked eyes, Ed saw everything he needed to know.

She was practically pleading for him to help her. He decided to focus on her request rather than on how absolutely mesmerizing her deep blue orbs were.

"Russell, can you get out of the goddamn way? Some of us have other classes to get to," Ed interrupted.

The girl quickly caught on. "Yeah, I should probably be going too. Don't want to be late on my first day of class, you know? See you later, Russell," she quickly said before she dashed away from them both.

Ed chuckled at her quick getaway. "Man, you have quite the way with women, don't you?" he teased as he noticed that Russell was visibly disappointed in the object of his desire so quickly ditching him.

"Shut up, Ed. It's your fault for ruining our conversation," Russell said in irritation as he grabbed his bag and the pair made their way out of the lecture hall.

"Oh, yeah. If I hadn't come along she would've married you on the spot for sure. She seemed _super_ into you," Ed told him sarcastically.

"Hey, at least girls will actually _talk_ to me. You just scare them all away."

"Yeah, okay. You just keep telling yourself that you're the king when it comes to women. Don't forget that, between us, I've had more real relationships."

"I don't give a damn about that. Between us I've had _way _more sex and, in the end, isn't that what matters most?"

"God, you are unbelievable. It amazes me that women would even step foot into bed with you. Do all the women you have sex with just have zero respect for themselves or something?"

Their argument continued on until they gladly parted ways for their next class, a glorious relief for Ed. He was getting real sick and tired of dealing with Russell Tringham. Ed was amazed sometimes at how horrible of a person he could be to other people, especially women. It was a mystery that everyone on campus seemed to adore him.

* * *

"Wait, what happened?" Rose asked her new roommate as she watched her slam her tray of food on their table in the cafeteria and let out a disgruntled huff as she sat down.

"Nothing happened," Winry blatantly lied as she dug into her lunch.

"Okay, I've only known you for a few days and I can tell you're lying. Seriously, Winry, what's wrong?"

Rose's concern for someone she had just met was admirable. Winry still wasn't in much of a talking mood after her first class that day, but she knew she wasn't going to be let off the hook any time soon.

"It's just dumb boy trouble."

"Wow, you're already having trouble with boys and you've only been in college for a few days. I'm impressed."

"It's not like that. Do you remember that guy Russell?"

"You mean the really hot baseball player that invited you to his party this weekend?"

"Yeah. And do you remember telling me that he was just going to forget about me in a few days and I would be fine?"

"Yeah," Rose answered uneasily.

"Well, he's in my chemistry class. This morning when he walked in, he sat down right in front of me. He couldn't stop talking to me even though I gave him multiple hints that I wasn't interested. You should've seen the looks he was giving me, Rose. It was like I was a piece of meat to him!"

"Oh, no. Poor Winry has the unwanted attention of one of the school's hottest and most popular guys," Rose retorted sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Rose. I know the kind of girls this guy likes to get with and I am _not _that kind of girl. I just know that if I go to that party, he's going to try something on me."

"Then don't go," Rose stated simply.

"But I have to go! Weren't you listening? He sits literally right in front of me. He'll know if I ditch him and he'll keep asking me about it in class."

"Winry, if you don't want to go, you don't have to go. Don't let some douche tell you what you can and cannot do."

"I know," Winry said as she silently weighed her options. She could go to the party and risk something happening that she didn't want to happen, or she could not go and have to deal with Russell who would no doubt give her hell because of it.

"Just take some time and think about it, Winry. And, if you really want to get this guy off your case and you feel like you have to go this party, I could go with you and make sure he doesn't try anything."

"Really? You would do that, Rose?" Winry perked up at the offer, knowing that if her first college friend was there, she would feel a lot safer.

"Of course! Parties aren't really my thing either, but if you think you have to go, I can tag along and keep an eye on everything."

"Rose, you're seriously the best."

"I know," Winry's roommate said with a wink. Winry laughed at her, feeling much better about the situation as they finished the rest of their lunch in peace.

**Hmm, I wonder what's going to happen at this party *wiggles eyebrows*. Reviews are awesome and so appreciated so let me know what you thought!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, so I had this chapter written and then I realized I didn't want to go the direction I was going so I had to rewrite the entire second half of the chapter and then I realized it was getting too long so I split it into two. So, updates might be a little slower as I have to rewrite a bunch of stuff but hopefully not too long. I'm really pleased with how this one came out so I hope you guys like it! And thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. You guys are awesome!**

"I'm so sorry, Winry," Rose lamented to her roommate as she watched her get ready for the party she had been planning on going to that Saturday night.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. You just focus on getting better."

"But I promised I would go with you. And I don't want you going alone. Who knows what could happen if you're there by yourself."

"I'll be fine, Rose. I've had an entire week to think about it and I've decided that I need to go just so I can give this guy a piece of my mind."

"Did he bother you in class again today?"

"Yeah, and I'm getting real tired of it. He'll be hearing a mouthful from me tonight."

"Just be careful, Win. If you're in any trouble at all, don't hesitate to call me."

Winry turned around from her place in front of the mirror to look at her poor, sick roommate lying underneath the covers of her bed. The day before, Rose had complained about feeling a little queasy and lightheaded. When she awoke that Saturday morning, her queasiness had escalated into a full-blown illness. She had been miserable all day while Winry was taking care of her. Because of it, Rose was unable to go with her roommate to Russell's party.

But Winry was okay with it. Sure she was a little disappointed and nervous to be going to this thing alone without the support of someone who had become a quick friend, but she had gotten more and more amped up as the week went on.

Every time she went to her chemistry class, Russell spent the entire time before and after class talking her up, saying the most nonsensical things she had ever heard. He was like a windup toy that never stopped going. She had been late twice that week to her next class because she couldn't get away.

Her only saving grace seemed to be Russell's unique roommate. Ed, she had learned his name was, looked and acted like the exact opposite of Russell. Winry had to wonder the more she observed the pair interact how they even managed to live together. She figured she might see his roommate tonight (as the party was at his house) but she had a suspicion that he wouldn't take part in a lot of the festivities. Like her, he didn't seem like the college partier type.

She had riled herself up as the days past about finally letting Russell know she wasn't interested and he should just stop and move onto the next girl. Winry wasn't like the atypical college girls he was used to. She actually had an inkling of self-respect and she would not let herself be swayed by someone like him.

She was just going to go to the party, find Russell, give him a piece of her mind, and leave. She didn't need Rose to accompany her for that.

She placed her earrings in one of the many piercings in her ear, took one last look at her appearance, and decided she was ready. It wasn't like she was trying to impress anyone at this party (probably the exact opposite) but she wanted to look good when she rejected the school's star athlete and playboy. It would feel even better that way, she figured.

She said one last goodbye to her roommate and left her dorm. She walked only a few blocks away before she came to the address Russell had written down for her the week before.

Only one thought was running through her head as she looked up at the house.

_Holy shit_.

How was a house this large the home to a pair of college boys? It was practically a mansion. Both Ed and Russell's families must be loaded.

She walked through the double doors of the sleek and modern home into a madhouse of college students. The music was thumping and the alcohol was flowing. Hundreds of young adults looked to be having the time of their lives as they grinded on the dance floor, made out on the couches, or chugged from the kegs.

Yeah, this was definitely not Winry's idea of fun.

She wandered around the place for a while, intent on finding the host as quickly as possible. A few guys made suggestive comments about her as she walked by, but she ignored them all with her head held high.

She was about ready to just give up on her search and leave when she caught a glimpse of a familiar head of blond hair chatting up some people by the house's bar.

_Finally. It's show time, Rockbell. _

She confidently moved through the throngs of people on her way to see Russell Tringham. She was almost to the bar when he looked up and noticed her. His face immediately broke out into a grin and he abandoned the people surrounding him as he met her, looking like a hunter stalking his prey.

"Wow, Winry, you look amazing. I'm so glad you came," he told her with a suggestive smile.

"Look, Russell, I only came here because I have something to say to you," she said loudly, having to project her voice over the thumping music.

"Huh? I didn't hear you," he told her as he leaned in to better listen.

"I said-," she yelled before he quickly cut her off and pointed to a side door that led to a large backyard. She didn't like the idea of going to a more private area, but he had to be able to listen to what she had to say.

She reluctantly relented and he lead her to a secluded outdoor seating area next to yet another mini bar. Only a few people were around and it was significantly quieter.

"There, this is better," Russell said as he sat down and motioned for her to do the same. She cautiously sat down on the couch and opened her mouth to finally speak when he again cut her off.

"Hold on. Let's get you something to drink," he said as he got up and began rummaging through bottles in the outdoor bar.

"I don't drink," she told him firmly. She was not having a drop of alcohol tonight if she could help it.

"Come on, don't you want a little something?"

"No. I don't drink."

Russell sighed and relented to her request. He grabbed another bottle of beer for himself and came to sit down next to her.

"Fine, but you're missing out on some great stuff. The house is fully stocked."

"Sorry, I'm not an alcohol drinker and I don't intend on becoming one any time soon," Winry said irritatingly. She was getting more impatient and uncomfortable the more she stayed at this party.

"So," he started, "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

She took a deep breath and readied herself for the speech she had prepared. "Russell," she began. "I think you have the wrong idea about me," she said.

"What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"I think you think I'm a certain kind of girl when I'm really not."

"No, I know what kind of girl you are. You're strong and independent. You're not afraid to give a guy a piece of your mind. I can see that in your eyes."

Well, she had not expected that. Russell's rather accurate portrayal of her halted her for a minute as she took it in. For once he hadn't sounded like an absolute jerk and it thoroughly shocked her.

"Well, yeah, you're right. But I still feel like-,"

"Let me stop you there, Winry. I know some people say that I'm some kind of womanizing asshole, but it's not true. The image people give you sometimes isn't always accurate, wouldn't you agree?"

"Well, I…guess," she answered him. It was pretty obvious to her by now that the guy sitting next to her wasn't the Russell she had been used to seeing.

"Can I be completely honest with you for a second?" he asked her.

"Uh…I guess," she answered back uneasily.

"While it is true that I've done some things in the past that I'm not proud of, I've gotten better. I'm not that king of dating women that everyone thinks I am. The only reason I've been talking to you so much is because I really like you." The sincerity in Russell's voice was convincing, she had to admit, but there was still something off about the whole situation.

"You like me?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah. I've only known you for a little while, Winry, but already I can tell that you're someone unique. You're beautiful and smart and you have more of a backbone to you than most guys I know. It's pretty attractive."

She narrowed her eyes at him as she tried to figure out if he was being honest with her or not. She couldn't just drop her defenses and trust him but she also couldn't completely crush him, especially if he was telling the truth.

He noticed this. "You don't have to believe me if you don't want to, but it's still true. I'm not just looking to hook up with you. I really want to get to know you better, Winry. Tell me more about yourself."

Winry looked into his eyes and saw an almost genuine interest. Winry wanted to believe him, but this was still not the Russell Tringham she had heard so many stories about. People talked about the shit he did to women all the time. He was a legend when it came to girls and yet he acted like he was on a first date or something. What was going on?

Her blood ran cold when she noticed one of his hands had drifted to the exposed skin of her leg. He was softly rubbing circles on her flesh, a sensation that with anyone else would feel great but with him just made her skin crawl.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked, her desire to believe his confession dwindling significantly.

"What? I'm just trying to make you more comfortable. Just relax. Come on, tell me more about yourself. Where'd you grow up?"

He continued lightly massaging her thigh, hoping to calm her down a bit. It only served to do the exact opposite. "Stop touching me," she told him firmly.

"Geez, Winry, you act like me touching your leg is illegal. What do you have against me?"

"I don't have anything against you, I just don't appreciate guys who touch me without my permission."

"Fine, fine. I'll stop. It's not that big of a deal anyway," he said nonchalantly as he removed his hand.

It was a big deal to Winry and she was getting more and more uncomfortable as she sat there with him. His words made him sound like an innocent guy just wanting to flirt with a girl, but his actions made him seem completely different.

"Russell, I don't know if I can believe you or not. I've heard plenty of stories that completely contradict what you say."

"Don't believe them. People are just jealous of me so they make up stories to make me seem like a bad guy. I promise you I'm not. I'm just a guy in college who's met the most unbelievably beautiful girl and wants to try and get to know her better. Is that so bad?" Russell inched closer to her as he talked until their noses were practically touching. Everything in Winry's mind was telling her to slap the shit out him, but it was like he had her under some kind of spell. The fear of what could happen made her body and brain freeze.  
Russell leaned in even further to kiss her as Winry's brain had ceased to work.

_Get away from there, Winry! You know he's lying_.

And yet she couldn't move. As he leaned in and whispered in her ear, her body was completely still. What was she waiting for? She had to get the hell out of there!

"Just relax. We could make a great team, Winry. I know you feel the same way. I can see it in your eyes. Just give in to it," he told her seductively before he leaned in to kiss her. As she watched his eyes flutter close and his mouth come closer and closer to her own, her brain finally began to function again.

She pulled away as quickly as she could, but by then Russell had grabbed a hold of her arm, pinning her in place. She pushed against his chest, but he wouldn't budge. Now she was beginning to worry.

"Stop!" she shouted as he continued to advance, despite her multiple attempts to push him away. When she said this, his face contorted in anger. Apparently his nice guy demeanor had worn off as he had gotten frustrated trying to convince her to get with him.

"Would you stop fighting already? I know you want it. There's no point in making a scene," he said irritatingly as he again moved in to kiss her, this time forcefully. She quickly turned her head and his lips connected with the side of her cheek. Though it wasn't what he wanted, he decided to continue on anyway as he trailed kisses down her neck.

By now Winry had reached the point of complete panic and anger. Russell was clearly stronger than her, despite how much strength she tried to tell herself she had and it was getting more and more difficult to get away the more he forced himself on her.

Even so, she was a Rockbell. And Rockbells don't let themselves be taken advantage of. She grabbed a hold of Russell's arms as he was clearly distracted and mustered all her strength to forcefully push him away and stand up.

"Get away from me!" she yelled as she stared him down, her fury rising to its peak.

"What the hell's the matter with you. You act like me kissing you is a crime!"

"It is a crime to take advantage of a women without her consent! God, I can't believe I even fell for your lies. You're just as bad as they say. You're a no good, disgusting bastard!" she screamed as her anger got the better of her and she raised her hand to deliver a blow that would set him right.

Before she could though, something cold and clearly made of metal wrapped around her wrist and stopped her swing in midair. She swiveled around, ready to give whatever had stopped her a piece of her mind. Her words of anger were never spoken, however, as she looked at what, or rather who, was standing there.

It was Russell's roommate, Ed.

The metal that wrapped around her wrist was that of an automail arm. How had she not noticed before that his arm was made of automail, her personal specialty? She shook her head, ceasing all thoughts of Ed's arm as she remembered the situation she was in.

Ed released her wrist and glared. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked, his voice filled with anger.

At first she thought he was angry at her for trying to take a swing at his roommate, but then she noticed his stare was directed at Russell.

"None of your business, Ed. Go away," Russell told him.

"It is my business, this is my goddamn house. Now tell me what's going on."

Ed wasn't just angry, he was furious. How long had he been watching what was taking place between them? How much had he seen?

"I told you, it's nothing. Winry and I were just getting to know each other better," he said with a smirk as he nodded toward her. This only served to ignite Winry's fury that had died down a bit since Ed's appearance.

"What the hell? You were forcing yourself on me when I clearly told you stop!" she yelled.

Ed looked at her then looked back at Russell. His face said it all.

"You're a goddamn pig, you know that? Leave her alone," he said firmly.

"Like hell I will. She's lying! She probably just wanted to save her ass from looking like a slut so she's saying I was forcing myself on her."

Winry cut Ed off from whatever he was going to say immediately. "EXCUSE ME? You know what, that's it. I'm getting out of here. I don't ever want to talk to you again, Russell. You're nothing but a disgusting, womanizing asshole!" she yelled before she gathered herself and ran back into the house where the party was held. She inwardly groaned when she realized they an audience had formed. She pushed her way through everyone on a mission to leave Russell's house and forget the entire thing ever happened.

She'd be damned if she let that horrible excuse of a person get to her. She'd never let herself get close to Russell Tringham ever again.

As she wove through the crowds trying to find the door, she heard someone calling out for her. She didn't turn back, though, as she figured it was probably Russell begging for mercy that he would not receive.

She was almost to the front door when she heard a screech and someone yell, "Look out!" She couldn't figure out in time what the person was talking about as something hard collided with the back of her head. She limply fell to the floor as darkness surrounded her.

**Yeah, I hate ending on cliffhangers too but hopefully it won't take too long to get the next one out so you guys can see what happened :) Let me know what you thought and how much you hate Russell now ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, sorry this took a little bit longer to get out, especially after that last chapter! Like I said before, I originally had all of this written but then I decided to go in a different direction so I had to rewrite the next few chapters, which is why this one took a little longer to get out. But I hope you guys like it! No more cliffhangers for a while, I promise ;) **

Winry's eyes fluttered open as the faint sound of thumping music reached her ears. She adjusted to the light as she blinked, trying to regain focus. As the world around her became less fuzzy, she noticed two pairs of golden eyes staring down at her.

"Hey! She's waking up," an unfamiliar voice said.

"Give her some space, Al," another voice replied. She recognized this one as Ed immediately.

"Sorry!" the other voice said.

As two golden-haired figures came into view, one of which was Ed, Winry groggily moved her head only to be met with a blinding pain. She immediately winced at the feeling.

"Try not to move your head too much, okay? You might have a concussion. Here, let me get you an ice pack," the boy with golden eyes and golden hair who looked strikingly similar to Ed told her as he ran somewhere and came back with an ice pack. He gently placed it on her head and she winced as he did.

She let out a groggy moan and tried to remember what had happened before everything went black.

Oh, yeah. That Tringham bastard had happened.

But that didn't explain why she was lying down with a massive headache in an unfamiliar room with Ed and and what was probably his brother staring down at her.

"What happened?" she finally asked.

"Some drunk douchebag thought it would be funny to see what happens when one of my dads stupid figurines is dropped off the second floor balcony without warning the people down below. It hit you and knocked you out," Ed told her.

"Oh, okay. Where am I?"

"You're still in our house in the upstairs den. I'm Alphonse Elric, by the way. I'm Ed's little brother," Alphonse said once he saw that she was looking at him in confusion.

"Oh, nice to meet you, I guess," she said as she attempted to sit up. Her head continued to pound as she did.

Before either brother could talk, a young boy with blonde hair walked into the room. "Is she okay?" he asked worriedly.

"She seems to be alright. Where's that bastard brother of yours?" Ed asked the boy.

"He's downstairs getting everyone to leave. I'm really sorry about him."

"It's not your fault what your brother does, Fletcher," Ed told him.

"I know, but I try so hard to get him to stop what he's doing but he just keeps on going."

"Yeah, I can personally attest to that," Winry said. When Fletcher heard her speak, he immediately came and stood in front of where she was sitting on the couch.

"Your name is Winry, right? I am so sorry about my brother. He doesn't normally do stuff like that, I promise."

Winry doubted that statement. Though, now that she thought about it, Russell was extremely popular with the ladies and trying to seduce one who wasn't interested wasn't a usual thing for him. He probably hadn't ever forced a girl to do anything before. They had all just willingly done it.

That still didn't make what he did any less disgusting and horrible, though.

"I'll talk to him as soon as I can," Fletcher promised her. Of course, Russell's brother's promises didn't make her feel any better, but it was a start.

"You don't even need to talk to him, Fletcher. I can just threaten to kick his ass to the street if he ever thinks about doing something like that again," Ed growled. He still looked as angry as he did when he was confronting the older Tringham brother before. Winry didn't know why though. It wasn't like Ed knew her personally and was looking out for her best interests. She hadn't even officially met him yet!

"Brother, you know that's not going to help anything," Alphonse chided.

"Might bring his overinflated ego down to size," Ed said.

Winry held the icepack to her throbbing head and sighed. Obviously there was something else entirely going on between Ed and Russell. Whatever happened with her only served to fuel the flame of the feud that she had only seen glimpses of before. How was she in the middle of a fight between two people she hardly knew? She was beginning to feel very overwhelmed.

"I got to get out of here," she said quietly as she looked around for the purse she had brought with her.

Apparently Alphonse had heard her statement and quickly came to her aid. "You don't have to leave yet if you still don't feel right. You took a pretty hard hit to the head. We can take you to the hospital if you want?"

"No, that's alright. I just want to get back to my dorm and forget this entire night ever happened. Have you seen my purse?"

Alphonse apparently had placed it to the side when they were helping her get upstairs to the den while she was passed out before. He handed the purse to her with an apologetic look.

"Here. We really are sorry about everything that's happened. Ed and I weren't expecting this party to get that out of hand," he told her.

She accepted her purse and tried her best to smile, though it still made her head hurt. Maybe she should go see a doctor.

"Yeah, it's fine. I just want go home," she stated simply. Alphonse nodded his head and turned to his brother.

"Alright, well I can take you back to the dorms," Ed said simply as walked up to her and held out his hand to help her up.

She didn't take the offer though. "The school is only a few blocks away. I can get back just fine."

Ed retracted his hand and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Try and stand up," he challenged with a smirk.

She narrowed her eyes at his smugness and huffed. She stood up with a determined flare, only to fall immediately back on the couch as the room spun wildly out of control. Or at least that's what it felt like.

"Uh huh. That's what I thought. You're in no state to walk back to your dorm. I'll drive you there myself."

"You don't need to do that," she weakly countered. Her head continued to pound.

"It's obvious I do. I'm going to go get my keys. Can you help her down to the garage, Al?"

"Sure," Al said.

"And Fletcher?"

"Yeah?"

"Make sure that idiot brother of yours stays out of her way, got it?" Ed threatened. Fletcher knew that his older roommate meant business. He nodded his head and left to go make sure Russell was as far from Winry as he could be.

With a little difficulty, Winry and Alphonse finally made it down the stairs and across the house to where the garage was. As they walked, Winry was able to take in the sheer magnitude of the house. She really needed to figure out where all of their money came from. It was insane that four young boys were living together in a house this large.

Ed met them by the garage door and helped Al lead Winry gingerly into where their cars were parked.

Ed went ahead and opened the passenger door to his car, a sleek black Camaro. Winry whistled when she got a good look at it. "Of course this is your car," she stated with a small roll of her eyes. So far her impression of the four boys living in the large house was that they were all very rich and very spoiled.

Once they were sure she was safely in the car, Alphonse said goodbye and she again tried to manage a smile for him. Out of all four boys, Alphonse seemed to be the kindest.

Ed hopped in on the driver's side, and turned the key in the ignition making the car come roaring to life. Winry couldn't help but marvel at the sound of it. In addition to automail, she found she had an interest in all mechanics, including cars. And this one was a work of engineering art.

She didn't say anything about it, though. Really this whole night was awkward enough and she didn't know how to start a conversation with the man sitting next to her. Plus, her head continued to pound. It felt like she had a migraine.

"Where do you live?" Ed asked as the silence became too unbearable for him.

"Powell Hall."

"Oh, so I take it you're a freshman."

She turned to look at him, marveling at his horrible small talk skills. Of course she was a freshman. You could only live in the dorms like Powell if you were a freshman. She tried to keep the sarcasm from her voice as she answered him.

"Uh, yeah."

"Do you like the school so far?" he asked.

She scoffed at that. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"Do what?" he asked in confusion.

"Try and start a conversation. My head feels like it's about to explode, talking about my first few weeks of school is not at the top of the list of things I want to do right now." She felt bad that that sounded so rude but she really wasn't feeling well at all and the night had been a complete disaster. She just wanted to get in her bed and sleep until school on Monday.

Ed took it in stride though and she commended him for that. "It hurts that bad? Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the emergency room?"

"No, I just want to go back to my dorm room," she said firmly. It couldn't possibly be that bad. A good night's rest and some ibuprofen should do the trick.

Ed still looked skeptical but he drove her back to her dorm anyway. It didn't take them long to get back to campus and to arrive in front of her building. She said a quick and slightly awkward thank you and then made to leave the car. When she did, however, Ed put a hand on her arm to stop her. Again she was reminded that one of his arms wasn't actually real when she felt the cool metal touch her skin. She would have to talk to him about his automail sometime in the future. Though, now that she thought about it, she didn't think she would be talking to this guy ever again so it was probably wishful thinking.

"What?" she asked as she turned back to him.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked as he raised his flesh hand and displayed four fingers.

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Prove to me you aren't seriously concussed and I'll let you go."

"Ugh, fine. Four," she answered.

"How about now?" he asked as he lowered one of his fingers.

"I'm not blind, you know."

"Tell me."

She sighed and said, "Three."

"Now?" he raised his fourth finger again.

"Four."

"How about now?"

"Three." The quicker he moved his finger up and down the dizzier she was getting. It was becoming harder to concentrate on the hand in front of her.

"Now?"

"Would you stop doing that?

"What?"

"Moving your finger up and down. It's making he dizzy," she said as she put a hand to her head.

"Really?" he commented before he raised his hand and flipped on one of the lights in his car. When he did, Winry was practically blinded. She quickly covered her eyes as the sudden intrusion made her headache even worse. What was this guy's deal?

"What the hell was that?" she exclaimed angrily.

"That's what I thought. You have a concussion, Winry, I'm taking you to the hospital," he said before he put the car in drive and drove away from her dorm building.

"What? No! Take me back right now!" she demanded.

"Winry, you know what happens if you just go to sleep while you have a concussion? You could slip into a coma. Do you really want that to happen?"

"So what I have to stay awake all night?"

"Not necessarily. But you do need to have an actual doctor check you out. You have all the symptoms."

"Oh, so you're some kind of concussion expert now?"

"Winry, you were knocked out by a heavy falling object. You were out for well over twenty minutes, you have a bad headache, looking at rapid motion makes you dizzy, and you're sensitive to light. Does that sound like anything else to you?"

She had to admit he was right. She had been suspecting that's what it was originally but she was too tired and in too much pain to want to spend the night in the ER so she hadn't said anything. Now she realized she had been caught.

She silently relented to his wish and didn't say a word the rest of the way to the hospital. She had hardly any idea who this Ed guy was but he had already stood up for her against Russell, taken care of her when she had gotten hurt, offered to drive her home, and was now taking her to the emergency room. She had to wonder, since her previous track record of guys she had met wasn't looking so good, if he was trying to get something out of her or if he was genuinely a nice guy.

When they arrived at a nearby hospital, Ed helped her walk into the ER (since she was still having trouble standing upright) and then helped her get checked in. When she sat down in the waiting room to wait for her turn to be looked at, Ed sat down next to her. She gave him a strange look when he did.

"What?" he asked her.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean what am I doing? I'm waiting."

"You don't have to stay with me."

He rolled his eyes at that. "Yes, I do. I'm not just going to leave you at the hospital while you're getting looked at. Plus, you don't have a ride home."

"Oh, yeah. Well then I guess a thank you is in order. I don't know why you're doing any of this for a girl you don't even know, but I really appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it," he said, brushing off her compliment and looking away embarrassedly.

She smiled at him and took a moment to really take in his features. Ed was certainly a very attractive man, as was everyone else who lived in that house, she had found out. His long, golden hair suited him perfectly. He was wearing a dark red hoodie and black, faded skinny jeans. She noticed with a smirk that he had the trademark glasses that completed the 'hipster' look. She admired the piercings in his ears and the one in his nose. She also noticed his eyebrow was pierced as well. A man after her own heart.

He was rather mysterious, she had decided. He, for some reason, lived with a womanizing star athlete yet he seemed to be the exact opposite. The events of the night made her believe he was a gentleman, despite his punk appearance. She had also heard rumors that he was a total science geek and a bit of genius in the field as well. There were so many things about this man in front of her that confused yet absolutely fascinated her.

Unlike his roommate, she had decided that she liked Ed. He seemed nice and he was obviously looking out for her, for whatever reason. Not to mention the fact that he possessed a piece of machinery that she had made her entire life's work. Now she knew that she had to have a conversation with him about it.

She came to a sudden realization as she waited in the waiting room of a hospital thinking about this mysterious man. She had never officially met him. Well, it was about time to change that. She extended her hand, which caused him to look back at her and furrow his brow in confusion. "Hi, my name's Winry Rockbell," she said with the best smile she could muster in her current state.

He looked at her strangely for a bit before he reached out and shook her hand. "Edward Elric," he told her.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Edward."

"Yeah, you too," he replied, finally showing a smile of his own.

Winry had a small suspicion as she shook Ed Elric's hand that this was the start of what would later be an amazing friendship. She had no idea why she thought that as her and Ed didn't have a lot in common, but she hoped for it all the same. Ed seemed like the kind of guy she could rely on.

And, if the way her first two weeks of college went was any indication, she knew she needed someone like that in her life for the next four years.

**Yay Ed and Winry finally officially met! I love writing hipster!Ed. It's seriously one of my favorite head cannons and was one of the reasons I wrote this story in the first place. Read and review please! Your feedback is so helpful and motivating so please let me know what you thought!**


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